As people eat better and work longer, mostly sitting in an office, they wish to use exercise machines more frequently, preferably without visiting a fitness center or gymnasium. As a result, the use of stepper machines, whether at home or in office, has become popular.
Stepper machines are usually configured to generate stable and adjustable resistance, so that a user can choose different levels of exercise. Most stepper machines are equipped with a hydraulic cylinder, known as hydraulic steppers. These stepper machines can become overheated when being used for a short period of time because of the frictions of the cylinder, sometimes for just 15 or 20 minutes. The problem of overheating has several implications. The overheated mechanical parts can easily scald or even burn a user's body. The hydraulic fluid can also become degraded, affecting the viscosity grade of the oil and the performance of the stepper machine's resistance generation.
Stepper machines with hydraulic cylinders are also susceptible to other problems as well, such as oil leakage, unequal or unstable resistance generation between left and right pedals, and noises. The maximum speed or frequency a user can step on the stepper machine can also be limited by various mechanical parts of the hydraulic cylinders as well, as the speed of such mechanical movements is constrained.